An 18 year old Massachusetts man was convicted of motor vehicle homicide based on his texting while driving. On February 20, 2011, Aaron Deveau was driving a car when it swerved across the center line and crashed head-on with another vehicle, killing the driver. Police confiscated his cell phone records and found that he had sent a message two minutes before the crash and received a message just one minute before the crash.
Because of this, the state charged him with motor vehicle homicide and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, using a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle, reading or sending an electronic message while drivied, a marked lanes violation, and two counts of negligent operation and injury from mobile phone use.
Deveau claimed that he was not using his phone at the time of the crash. He said that he had left it on and placed it in the passenger's seat. He claimed that he became distracted because he was thinking about homework when his car went left of center. Prior to the crash, Deveau had sent and received 193 texts. Texting while driving is a crime in Washington, D.C. and 38 states. Deveau could spend up to four years in prison based on his conviction.